Al Keller, Author at Hell's Bay Boatworks

2022 Florida Skiff Challenge Race

April 4, 2022April 4, 2022

Boating endurance event raises awareness about Florida water issues, draws thousands of fans.

The 7th Annual Florida Skiff Challenge is set to kick off at the Flora-Bama Ole River Grill in Pensacola on the morning of Thursday, April 7, 2022.

This four-day test of mental and physical endurance began as a battle for bragging rights between boat manufacturers, but has evolved into an annual awareness event to spotlight Florida’s water issues and the connectivity between clean water and a healthy economy.

This year, six teams will put their 18-foot skiffs to the ultimate test, circumnavigating the 1,300-mile Florida peninsula by water from state line to state line. Each five-man team includes two skiff operators and three land-based support crew. All teams are equipped with extensive safety gear and navigation aids and have pre-plotted their own pit stops for fuel, food, repairs, and rest. Boats may be powered by up to a 70-horsepower outboard motor and can carry a maximum of 22 gallons of fuel at a time.

2022 Team Roster

Hell’s Bay Boatworks– Titusville, Florida
Yellowfin Yachts– Bradenton, Florida
SeaPro Boats– Whitmire, South Carolina
Key West Boats– Summerville, South Carolina
Lake & Bay Boats– Sebring, Florida
Blacktip Boatworks– Pinellas Park, Florida

Route & Event Schedule

Teams establish their own routes and pit stops around the state. All teams will stop at the locations below. Arrival times vary.

April 7 – Challenge start at Flora-Bama Ole River Grill in Pensacola
April 8 – Mandatory media stop at Key Largo Marriott Beach Resort in Key Largo
April 9 – Challenge finish at Fernandina Harbor Marina in Fernandina Beach

3 ways to join the action

The event reaches over 7 million people through social media and digital channels. Throughout the event, viewers are educated about impacted water bodies around the state and can expect to learn about topics such as Everglades restoration, nutrient pollution, habitat degradation, and conservation organizations working to advance solutions.

Track teams live – Starting April 7, fans can track teams’ real time positions on a digital map at captainsforcleanwater.org/2022-skiff-challenge/
Join the exclusive Facebook group – Teams, fans, and field reporters post live content to the exclusive Skiff Challenge Facebook group, including behind-the-scenes, pit stop interviews, water quality education, and unfiltered commentary. Fans can also follow along on the @FloridaSkiffChallenge Instagram.
Donate – Fans can help their favorite team earn incentives by donating to support the mission of Captains For Clean Water.

Press access to teams for interviews and photos are available through Captains For Clean Water.

Update – Senate Bill 2508 Original vs. Final

March 17, 2022March 17, 2022

Senate Bill 2508 passes full legislature vote—final version is a far cry from its original. Yesterday, SB 2508 passed 33-0 in the Senate and 99-8 in the House, but the final version of bill that passed looks a lot different than the one filed five weeks ago.

During last week’s final negotiations, the bill was amended again, further watering down the remaining threats that the bill posed. Even though it passed yesterday’s vote, the major harm to our waters was avoided thanks entirely to YOUR unprecedented efforts.

The bill still doesn’t do anything to help our waters, and there are some concerns remaining, but the threat it presents is significantly reduced because you all fought harder than we’ve ever seen before. What started as an absolute train wreck for Everglades restoration now looks more like a fender bender.

Let’s take a look at how 43,000 petition signatures, thousands of phone calls & emails to the legislature, insane social participation, and two trips to Tallahassee were able to impact the final language in SB 2508…

KILLED: Dilutes funding for the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) Reservoir by opening a dedicated funding stream to other competing projects. (Line item removed ✓)
KILLED: Subjects LOSOM and all other future Lake Okeechobee regulation schedules to the CERP savings clause. This would reduce beneficial environmental flows to the Everglades and the Caloosahatchee during the dry season, forcing higher lake levels at the start of the wet season and creating less capacity to take on summer rains. The result would be more toxic discharges and more nutrients to fuel red tide blooms. (Line item removed ✓)
KILLED: Ties over $300 Million of Everglades restoration funding to the passage of the bill, making it challenging for the Governor to veto. (Line item removed ✓)
KILLED*: Requires SFWMD reports be sent to the Legislature providing opportunities for them to be legally challenged. (*Still requires reports to be sent, however, the final legislation specifies the reports are not challengeable.)
WEAKENED: Takes authority away from SFWMD to change rules on how Lake O is managed at lower levels. (Final version of SB 2508 removed the portion turning existing rules into state law. However, it still creates an opportunity for the Legislature to block SFWMD rule changes, making them very difficult to change and ultimately benefiting the status quo.)

WEAKENED: Takes authority away from SFWMD to change rules on how Lake O is managed at lower levels. (Final version of SB 2508 removed the portion turning existing rules into state law. However, it still creates an opportunity for the Legislature to block SFWMD rule changes, making them very difficult to change and ultimately benefiting the status quo.)

Thank you for your relentless pushback against this bad bill—without it, a water-quality catastrophe was inevitable.

http://www.captainsforcleanwater.org

The Sheepy Fly Fishing Tournament

March 9, 2022July 26, 2022

The Sheepy is a annual fly fishing tournament to catch sheepshead, aka “Cajun Permit” held in Hopedale, LA benefiting the Gulf Coast Waterman. The GCW is a non-profit designed to assist in the education of Sportsmen about wildlife and wetland conservation in Louisiana.

Guide – Brecken Stinnett

February 28, 2022February 28, 2022

Southeastern Wildlife Exposition

February 9, 2022July 27, 2022

The Southeastern Wildlife Exposition (SEWE) is a celebration of the great outdoors through fine art, live entertainment and special events. It’s where artists, craftsmen, collectors and sporting enthusiasts come together to enjoy the outdoor lifestyle and connect through a shared passion for wildlife.

Come by the Orvis booth in the Brittlebank Park location and check out the carbon fiber Hell’s Bay Boatworks Orvis Edition.

Go to www.sewe.com for more information.

Breaking News: Florida Senate files bad water policy.

February 8, 2022February 9, 2022

Dark Skies loom over the Everglades Restoration project. Follow this link to read the Press Release from Captains for Clean Water and how Senate Bill 2508 includes many harmful provisions that spell bad news for Florida waters and what we need to do the help.

Click Here for more info

C4CW senate bill 2508 Download

The Restoration of America’s Everglades

January 20, 2022January 21, 2022

Since 1989, the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) has maintained a singleness of purpose that has guided the organization to become the most respected and trusted sportsmen’s organization in the political arena. CSF’s mission is to work with Congress, governors, and state legislatures to protect and advance hunting, angling, recreational shooting and trapping. Read the letter below sent to the President.

December 23, 2021
President Joe Biden
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, DC 20500
Dear President Biden,

On behalf of the undersigned members of the sportfishing, boating, and greater outdoor
industry, we write to you in support of recent bi-partisan congressional letters requesting
that your administration allocate at least $1.5 billion towards turnkey Everglades
restoration projects (i.e., the South Florida Ecosystem Restoration program) from
funding made available to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) through the
bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA).

Over four million of the nation’s 55 million anglers reside in or frequent Florida as do almost
one million registered boat owners, with many of these focusing on the iconic fishing and
boating opportunities in the southern part of the state where ongoing water quality
impacts have highlighted the need to expedite Everglades restoration activities. In Florida,
the Fishing Capital of the World, the sportfishing industry is a $13.8 billion economic
engine supporting almost 120,000 jobs, making clean waters and abundant fisheries
of paramount importance to us not only in the state, but nationally. Florida’s $33
billion outdoor recreation economy, driven by fishing, boating, hunting, and other
outdoor pursuits, has a robust impact on both jobs and GDP.

With the passage of the IIJA legislation, Congress has provided the USACE with historic
funding to improve critical infrastructure and invest in measures to protect against the
immediate and future impacts of climate change. Not only does restoring America’s
Everglades provide an unmatched opportunity to accomplish both goals, but it also will be
a banner example of USACE’s (and America’s) ability to restore the environment on a
massive scale and serve as a legacy defining investment for your administration. A
generational investment now will undoubtedly be recognized as a galvanizing moment
that ensured the future of a national and global treasure.

Passed by the U.S. Congress in 2000, the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan
(CERP) is a model for shared investment and boasts a 50-50 cost shared program between
Washington and Florida. America’s Everglades doesn’t just impact Florida. Beyond the
climate and economic benefits to the country, best practices from Everglades restoration
can be harnessed for future ecosystem restoration projects and the completion of
Everglades restoration will enhance the prominence and funding potential for needed
restoration investment across the country.

America’s Everglades has significant momentum, a well-earned track record, and a
rewarding future. Everglades restoration is a multi-purpose project with multi-benefit
impacts, including restoring critical ecosystems, increasing carbon sequestration capacity,
recharging a critical aquifer, providing resilience against storms and salt water intrusion,
creating tens of thousands of jobs, and protecting communities and economies that are
exceptionally vulnerable to climate change. The Everglades provides drinking water to 9
million Floridians and is home to 78 threatened or endangered species. The Everglades
encompasses the tribal lands of two Native American Tribes, includes 14 national wildlife
refuges, four national parks (including Everglades National Park – a World Heritage Site), an
International Biosphere Reserve, and a Wetland of International Importance.

We also support the bipartisan congressional requests that your FY23 budget fund
Everglades restoration at $725 million to keep on schedule to complete restoration
efforts this decade, as originally envisioned when CERP was passed, and to realize an
estimated $2 billion in savings off the overall price tag. As noted in those letters, we
believe that supplemental funding from IIJA should be in addition to the federal
obligations reflected in the Integrated Delivery Schedule, which should be fulfilled by
regular budget requests to Congress and appropriations. Given the dire status of the
Everglades ecosystem and the multitude of benefits of restoration, all of this funding is
critically needed. USACE has confirmed the ability to carry out $5 billion worth of projects
over the next five years. These investments would accelerate the Everglades Agricultural
Area reservoir, a key component that will create synergies across the complex system of
Everglades restoration projects as it sends clean water south and reduces damaging
discharges to the east and west coasts.

Thank you for your continued support and we urge you to ensure generational funding
from bipartisan infrastructure legislation is used for a deserving and historically bipartisan
cause – restoring America’s Everglades.

Sincerely,

Glenn Hughes
President
American Sportfishing Association
Casey Shedd
Chief Executive Officer
AFTCO – American Fishing Tackle Company
Al Perkinson
Chief Executive Officer
Bajio Sunglasses
Chris Edmonston
President
BoatU.S. Foundation
Chris Edmonston
Vice President, Government Affairs
Boat Owners Association of The United States
Jim McDuffie
President and CEO
Bonefish and Tarpon Trust
Aine Denari
President
Brunswick Boat Group
Daniel Andrews
Co-Founder & Executive Director
Captains For Clean Water
Jeff Angers
President
Center for Sportfishing Policy
Pat Murray
President
Coastal Conservation Association
Brian Gorski
Executive Director
Coastal Conservation Association Florida
Jeff Crane
President and CEO
Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation
Mark Nichols
Chief Executive Officer
DOA Lures
Mike Dixon
Vice President
Engel Coolers
Eric Eikenberg
Chief Executive Officer
The Everglades Foundation
Far Bank Enterprises
Fly Water Travel
Redington
RIO Products
Sage
Guy Harvey
Chairman
Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation
Chris Peterson
President
Hell’s Bay Boat Works
Jason Schratwieser
President
International Gamefish Association
Matt Gruhn
President
Marine Retailers Association of the Americas
Charlie Johnson
Director of Marketing
Maverick Boat Company
David Anderson
Partner
Natural Resource Results
Frank Hugelmeyer
President
National Marine Manufacturers Association
Collin O’Mara
President & CEO
National Wildlife Federation
Simon Perkins
President
The Orvis Company
Dave Bulthuis
President
Pure Fishing, Inc.
Brad Befus
President
Scientific Anglers
Chuck Yates
Vice President
SeaDek Marine Products
David Pfeiffer
President
Shimano
Casey Sheahan
Chief Executive Officer
Simms Fishing
Whit Fosburgh
President and CEO
Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership
Ben Speciale
President
Yamaha U.S. Marine Business Unit
Matthew J. Reintjes
Chief Executive Officer
YETI Holdings, Inc

The Waterman Fly Tournament

January 19, 2022July 27, 2022

The Waterman Fly Fishing Tournament Feb 26th & 27th fly fishing-only, catch & release redfish tournament benefiting Tampa Bay Water Keepers. To find out more information and to register for the tournament follow the link below. www.tampabaywaterkeeper.org

Guadalupe River Troutfest, TX

January 18, 2022July 27, 2022

Dates: Feb. 18th -20th, 2022 Troutfest Expo

Location: Lazy L and L, New Braunfels, TX, right on the Guadalupe River

Follow the link below for more information on the event.

Troutfest TX

Expo
• FREE Fly Casting Lessons on land and the river
• Presentations from guides, outfitters and experts
from around the world
• Kids events: casting pond, archery and airguns
• Booths guides, shops, artists, gear manufacturers
• On water watercraft demos

FKFGA 32nd Annual Swamp Guides Ball

January 18, 2022July 27, 2022

All Release – Redfish, Snook, Bonefish
Feb 4th -5th, 2022 Angler House Marina, Islamorada

The FKFGA is also one of the main fundraising organizations for the Guides Trust Foundation (GTF). The GTF mission is to assist guides or persons related to the local fishing industry in times of need. Our biggest fundraiser is the annual Swamp Guides Ball. To sign up follow the link below.

Swamp Guides Ball